The Toad Brigade Strikes Again

When thinking about what videogame or movie you would want to live in it is easy to place yourself in the role of one of the heroes of the game/film. The idea that you could be a war hero in Battlefield 3 or Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes would be exciting to just about anyone. Who doesn’t want to be a superhero or super genius? However, living in the world of Battlefield 3 wouldn’t necessarily mean you were the war hero, in the middle of the excitement, saving allies and killing enemies. Living in the world, means living in a world filled with war and destruction. Living in the world of Sherlock Holmes means living in a world filled with deception and corruption. The reason these heroes are so appealing is because they are so much greater than the ordinary people of their worlds, they are the light in a seemingly dark world.

However, there is one videogame in which I never dreamed of being the main character, instead, the characters just bopping around in the world were always more appealing. This game would be Mario Galaxy. Though I have never played the game myself, I have sat and watched it played enough to understanding the world and why it would be a fun place to live. When viewing this game I never wanted to be Mario, running around trying to collect random stars all to save a princess who cant seem to keep herself safe for anything. After the 100th time Princess Peach has been kidnapped, I no longer felt like being Mario and saving her. I remember being very young and turning on my Nintendo 64, playing Mario, and thinking that this girl almost deserved to stay captured. Now watching my friends play Mario Galaxy, all I want them to do is stop following their quest and just play around with the other characters in the world. When watching a game like Battlefield, I am invested in their mission. I want to see them win the battle, and get stressed out when they seem to be losing or die. In Mario Galaxy I am invested in the world. I don’t want to save the princess; I want to hang out with the Toad Brigade and Luma. I want to be one of them.

So, why live in the specific world of Mario Galaxy? Obviously, living in space would be awesome. Just floating about, chilling on beautiful little floating Islands seems to me to be a stress free way to live. If I were the adorable Toad, I wouldn’t have to stress about collecting stars or winning battles in order to save Peach. I could just enjoy the environment whilst still being entertained by the drama of Peach’s kidnapping and Mario’s struggle to save her. I could give Mario valuable information and assist in the rescue, but most of the time I could just chill. Maybe if I lived in the world, I would be able to be as invested in Mario’s quest as I am in that of a soldier in Battlefield. Being Toad would be like a spectator watching someone play battlefield, enjoying the thrill as a spectator while still living in the comfort and awesomeness to the Mario Galaxy setting.